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Classroom Resource Pack

The Classroom Ressource Pack (CRP) provides teachers with comprehensive resources for teaching music to 11-18 year olds in schools. It contains all the necessary elements for teachers to deliver a wide range of innovative, modern music lessons and uses Cubase Studio 4 or Cubase 4 as the technology platform. The Teacher Manual, 370 pages of detailed lesson plans and activities meticulously prepared for the teacher, is supported by two easy-to-navigate content DVD’s; one provides printable PDF worksheets and assessment materials in addition to video tutorials and other support materials, and the other DVD provides original music as multi-track Cubase projects, audio files, audio loops, MIDI files and video files intended for project work in the classroom.


High quality full-colour 370-page Teacher Manual
User friendly navigation environment for easily finding and selecting content and resources
11 CRP Projects and 74 learning activities (more than 100 hours fully-prepared music lessons in total)
127 Cubase Projects and more than 190 Teacher and Student Worksheets
Royalty free audio files, audio loops, MIDI files, video sequences and originally recorded multi-track songs
Video tutorial files to support and improve teacher skills
Cubase concepts, features and skills comprehensively mapped to CRP Projects
Project Learning Record for student self-assessment per CRP Project

 

Concept
The Classroom Resource Pack has been created to help school teachers around the world to teach Music in the classroom using modern computer music technology.
Typically the Music curriculum is based on the fundamental activities of performing, composing and listening, and schools around the world today adopt a traditional approach to the teaching and learning of these fundamental skills.

Computer music technology is fast becoming an essential element of the 21st Century school music curriculum. It is itself a highly effective tool to nurture those same fundamental skills of performing, composing and listening but additionally provides the opportunity for learning discrete recording, sequencing and production skills. Students thereby study music with a contemporary perspective reflecting a real world technology context.


This approach poses a significant challenge for many teachers. Unfamiliarity and lack of experience with the technologies, combined with a lack of time and resources to satisfactorily produce a scheme of work and range of lesson materials, are the biggest challenges. Additionally it is the time to think, the time to prepare, to create, or to produce classroom teaching materials that are precisely the resources that teachers simply do not have. And this is exactly what we give them with the Classroom Resource Pack!

Therefore the Classroom Resource Pack answers the needs of teachers the world over by giving them a huge range of pre-prepared learning activities which can be selected by the teacher and either used in part and inserted into their existing scheme of work, or used in its entirety to form the basis for a brand new programme of study.

The CRP’s units of study or learning activities (or LA’s) are arranged into collective themes or topics called Projects and provided at graduated difficulty levels. These difficulty levels have been developed with the intention of teaching children between the ages of 11 to 18. The LA’s are however mainly focused towards the elementary to intermediate levels, allowing the teacher to draw upon the widest range of resources to satisfy the majority of students.

Last, but not least, the Classroom Resource Pack is of course based on the integral use of Cubase 4 or Cubase Studio 4, arguably the most widespread, easy to use, and professional music composition and production software package available today. It is also one of the most commonly used applications in the study of music and music technology in education, and therefore provides both teacher and student the confidence of building a solid foundation with learning technical and practical skills which have real world value and longevity.


Content
The Teacher Manual
The Teacher Manual is the core information source the teacher will use to plan and deliver music lessons on a daily basis. Supplied as a durable spirally-bound hard backed book it is intended to be a long-lasting source of reference for the teacher to use both outside the classroom when planning lessons (at home for example) and inside the classroom when delivering lessons. Each of the 11 CRP Projects and their associated Learning Activities are detailed in the Teacher Manual, and a comprehensive Cubase Concept Map identifies how each Project makes use of specific Cubase skills and understanding of Cubase technology. The Teacher Manual is presented in A4 landscape format to provide an optimal viewing layout, and is printed in full-colour on 370 sides of high-quality paper.


The Resource File
Accompanying the printed Teacher Manual in the CRP folder is the Resource File, a range of printed reference sheets. These include examples of generic worksheets and assessment tasks found on the DVD2 (see below) so that teachers are introduced to the style and range of materials provided by the CRP. In addition a table of the entire CRP contents, along with basic set-up recommendations is supplied. And usefully the Resource File contains all of the support materials and worksheets needed to deliver Project 1 – Introduction to Cubase.


The DVD’s
The Classroom Resource Pack contains two DVD’s. Both have been custom made to run using the Director TM environment, which means that there is an easy-to-use graphical interface directing the user to simply and quickly find the files required.


DVD1 – Classroom Project Files
DVD1 contains all the files that students will use when undertaking the practical tasks within the 11 projects. It is structured with direct correlation to the Projects and Learning Activities themselves, and the graphical interface provided guides the student with a very simple and consistent method to find the Cubase Project file associated with the lesson they are undertaking. Once located the student simply clicks on the link, Cubase is automatically started and the correct Cubase project will be opened along with most of the content files needed to complete the Learning Activity.


DVD2 – Teacher Support Materials
This DVD also operates via an easy to navigate custom-made Director TM graphical interface. It contains all of the additional information the teacher will need to know, and all the support materials the teacher will need to use, to satisfactorily carry out the Learning Activities. DVD2 includes Student Worksheets, Teacher Support Sheets, Assessment Sheets, Project Learning Records, Cubase Tutorial Videos and other ressources.


The CRP Projects
The CRP’s 11 units of study are called Projects.
Project 1 provides students with the opportunity to gain an understanding of a range of the fundamental features and working practices of Cubase and/or Cubase Studio.
Projects 2 – 11 focus on different aspects of music, with each designed to provide about 8-12 hours of classroom study.
Each CRP Project with its own musical theme introduces a unique set of aims. These are clearly identified in the Project Overview at the start of each Project. The Project context is then outlined, allowing the teacher to understand more about how the Projects’ aims and Learning Activities might interact with other themes in a scheme of work. The prior Skills, Knowledge and Understanding required to undertake the Project work is also listed, allowing the teacher, and therefore the students also, to be fully prepared. Learning Outcomes then describes the result intended once all Learning Activities have been undertaken from the Project – an invaluable reference tool for the teacher.


The Learning Activities (LA’s)
Each CRP Project is divided into a number of individual elements called Learning Activities. Most Projects contain between 6 and 8 Learning Activities, most of which are intended to last between 1 and 2 classroom lessons (assuming each lesson has duration of approximately 45-50 minutes). There are 74 Learning Activities in total in the CRP, generating over 100 hours of classroom teaching time.

Like the Projects, each LA has its own specific aims and learning outcomes - teachers may choose to select individual LA’s for inclusion into any desired scheme of work. It is not therefore a requirement for students to complete every Learning Activity within each Project of the CRP - the teacher may ‘mix’ any assortment of LA’s to ‘match’ any particular study requirements. This degree of flexibility is one of the key advantages of the CRP – since this makes it possible for the CRP to be integrated in teaching schemes anywhere in the world, in different curricula or syllabi, at various difficulty levels, and for any group (although we recommend optimal age range is 11-18 based on UK schools and education standards).


The Learning Activities also allows for assessment of the students work. Assessment types vary, but largely they can be practical (such as assessing ‘the performance of a melody line’, or ‘the ability to apply effects processing and audio manipulations as a creative compositional tool’) which would be captured as evidence by submission of the related Cubase project file. Or they can be written (such as ‘identifying the common interpretation markings found on a score’, or ‘the ability to record mixer settings and production techniques on a track sheet’) which would be captured as evidence by completion of a CRP student worksheet. Homework can be set, tests are also available, and there are some group assessments – but mainly the classroom activities will lead to assessment activities for individual students - largely of a practical nature, and often mixed with written completion of student worksheets. And usefully most LA’s include a section on Differentiation – which offers suggestions for ways to adapt the activities either for more able or less able students that might be in the class group.


Cubase Concepts, Features and Skills
Each Project and its associated Learning Activities contain reference to Cubase Concepts. There are specific concepts, features or skills that students will develop or learn in the course of completing the Project. A detailed mapping of such Cubase Concepts is provided in the Teacher Manual (an example is shown on the left), so the teacher can easily refer to it and understand the demands for each Project, and then further investigate the teacher support materials (such as Teacher Support Sheets and the Cubase Concept Tutorial Videos) to acquire the necessary knowledge and/or skills.


Cubase Concept Tutorial Videos
In order to provide a better demonstration of some of the more complex Cubase Concepts, 34 clear and informative video tutorials are included on DVD2 as embedded Quicktime movie files. Finding the tutorial you need and navigating forwards or backwards through the video content is simple – and basic controls including ‘pause’, ‘mute, and ‘full screen’ allow the teacher to even use the videos as part of their lesson if desired.


Student Worksheets
DVD2 contains a very large number of itemized Student Worksheets that can be printed out and given to the students. Each Student Worksheet is named according to Project and Learning Activity, and so they are easily to be found and printed in the correct quantities prior to each class.

These can include:


Learning Activity instructions
Background explanations of technical or musical processes
Homework tasks
Assessment tasks
Evaluation forms
Cubase screenshots for annotation

Teacher Support Sheets
DVD2 also contains a very large number of Teacher Support Sheets that provide background information about:


technical processes
music styles and genres
analysis of specific examples of music
These sheets are to be used by the teacher in building up their understanding of the themes introduced by the Projects, and thereby support the teacher in their own activities.

Minimal System Requirements
The minimum system requirements state the minimal specification your computer must have to be able to use the software. A more powerful system may be required for certain tasks or larger projects. You can find more information about computer system specification and setup here.


MAC -CRP


Cubase 4.1 or Cubase Studio 4.1 (see below)
Display Resolution 1024x768 pixels
512 MB RAM
Adobe Acrobat 6 or above
Apple Quick Time 7.1.2.4 or above
Microsoft PowerPoint (required for the Quizzes)

Cubase 4.1 Requirements


Mac OS X Version 10.4
Power Mac G4 1 GHz or Core Solo 1.5 GHz
512 MB RAM
Display Resolution 1024x768 pixels
DVD drive required for installation
CoreAudio compatible audio hardware
USB port required for Steinberg Key (copy protection device)
Internet connection required for Cubase license activation
CRP

PC- CRP

Cubase 4.1 or Cubase Studio 4.1 (see below)
Display Resolution 1024x768 pixels
512 MB RAM
Adobe Acrobat 6 or above
Apple Quick Time 7.1.2.4 or above
Microsoft PowerPoint (required for the Quizzes)

Cubase 4.1 Requirements:


Windows XP Home or XP Professional (both with Service Pack 1 installed)
Pentium/Athlon 1.4 GHz
512 MB RAM
Windows DirectX compatible audio hardware (ASIO compatible audio hardware recommended for low latency performance)
Display resolution 1024x768
DVD-ROM drive required for installation
USB port required for Steinberg Key (copy protection device)
Internet connection required for Cubase license activation

Steinberg Reference School
In April 2006 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH has initiated a new pilot project for the music education sector in its home country of Germany. The Steinberg Reference School project is an initiative between the private and public sectors that aims to establish regional centers of excellence within the state school system in each German federal state. Each appointed school will become a reference platform for training and networking both music educators and students in the region and will offer new possibilities to learn, utilize and exploit the latest computer-based music composition and audio production techniques.


Through the scheme, each appointed Steinberg Reference School will become a focal point for music educators who want to receive additional information via seminars and hands-on workshops on how conventional musical lessons can be enriched and expanded when using the latest advances in computer-aided music and audio technology, including Steinberg’s recording software Cubase and its range of virtual instruments.


Steinberg Reference Schools are selected according to distinct criteria, including the development status of music within the school, technical infrastructure and availability of traditional musical instruments. Each Steinberg Reference School will be open as a training resource for all schools in the area that cannot afford this level of equipment, so that the teachers and pupils at other schools in the region have a way of completing digital audio projects. Another important function of each Steinberg Reference School is to offer a communication and information platform for all forms of educational facilities and their staff in the region. The aim here is to provide a way for educators to exchange information and practical experiences, their teaching methodologies in relation to audio software as well as to create and develop practical, hands-on examples of how to use digital audio software in the classroom.


“Dealing with computers and software is often easier for pupils and students than for the teachers themselves. It therefore makes sense to help remove obstacles for teachers in approaching music software and to offer practical and constructive ways of using these technologies within lessons,” says Steinberg’s Education Manager Lars Meding. ”Simply to work with software and all of its functions should neither be an end in itself nor the sole focus of advanced training, but rather it has to be understood as an important yet simple tool in an educational situation or as part of an overall teaching concept.”



First Steinberg Reference School etablished
The first Steinberg Reference School has been established in the new music computer classroom at a comprehensive school located in the Horn area of Hamburg. Employing a network with a server PC as well as six PC workstations, the new facilities were opened on April 6th 2006 to a large audience comprising music teachers from the area, representatives from the music press and education publishers, as well as officials from Germany’s leading music teaching organizations and the regional government. This high-profile opening was seen as being of particular significance because Hamburg-Horn is perhaps better known for its difficult social climate than for its educational initiatives; a positive signal encompassing new opportunities for expression and community development.


Under the auspices of the new scheme, the school has been equipped by Steinberg with a special software package including Cubase SE, WaveLab Essentials and Virtual Instruments Collection, plus MI4 audio interfaces for all workstations. Steinberg’s entire product range of software tools was permanently installed on the server PC, creating a training center for computer-based music production, which is closely allied to the extensive range of traditional music instruments already available at the school. The initiative couples the new software with the ready availability and close proximity of both practice rooms and acoustic instruments. Music sessions can be easily recorded and subsequently mixed at the computer stations.


"This is a very good way of attracting pupils who aren't able to play an instrument to music lessons,” states Lars Meding. “They are able to play a key part in the creative process, playing virtual instruments or loops via MIDI keyboards, or working on finalizing the recording session. All of these are vital components in contemporary music production, especially seeing as the computer is rapidly becoming the center of a multi media studio in schools. Steinberg strongly believes that the ability to make music can also be a force for social good by fostering both intelligence and communication skills.


Pupils and students can therefore now produce their own audio and music projects on CD ROMs in a school environment. At the same time the music computer facilities are also suited to advanced training for music teachers and/or students from other schools and universities who want to learn modern music technology or find approaches to applying digital audio production in a familiar classroom environment.


A further goal of the new project is to help prepare the teachers of tomorrow in terms of getting in touch with music technology and software. "We will announce more reference schools in each German federal region, with further plans to extend this network worldwide, and aim to establish closer networks between universities and all public and private key institutions and associations in the field of music education,” concludes Lars Meding.
Steinberg Reference School projects are supported through public or private sponsors.

 

Computerunterstützter music lessons
Günther Wiedemann


Need for action
None other technical innovation in recent years, so much attention has been medienpädagogischer how the computer. Is he the one with the vision of a changed school and filled with a vital "revolution of learning", warn the others are often unpredictable consequences. What position but it may also refer: as a technological tool such as a medium touched or changed the computer lasting all areas of life, identifies and characterizes much of our time. The expert dealing with him and the new media will therefore be one of the major key skills at work and in society for the next generation, especially the school to comment stance.


Also, the production and distribution of music is today largely on digital techniques, and their main tool, the computer, coupled. He has not only the equipment of the studios, but especially in many areas of pop music the emergence of compositional process decisively influenced and changed.


For most children and adolescents are the current technological and computer-music styles (Techno and House reflect example, the procedure of digital production effectively against) the everyday acoustic environment. Always make them naturally in their spare computer technology - particularly by playing on the computer - available to download information, MIDI and audio files from the Internet, then they connect and multifaceted way.
Young people need the computer as a means of working in music lessons meet less to the technical knowledge and skills, but rather, through targeted learning, in thinking about the possibilities and limits of computer technology will lead to a self-responsible and sensible use to arrive .
Only the acquisition reflective empowerment opened opportunities, in the light modified forms of musical socialisation on the experience and understanding of the music on reality perception, behavior and recreational values of the students musikpädagogisch influence.


Establishment and promotion of
Knowledge contexts, which are capable of New technologies on their personal value to critically review and assess
Reflective empowerment, understood as a chance to reality perception and value orientation musikpädagogisch influence
Independent learning and social behavior, self-control and cooperation
Systematic (from the teacher-led), and self-learning
Production processes, with the help of new technologies, the target dimensions listen to music, make music and think about music in analysis and experience together.
The computer
(In conjunction with appropriate software)


Prejudice to any parameter, which is editing changes and immediately save. Allows editing and compositional experimentation with varied sounds. Does the notion of Erklungenem and thus fundamentally changing the composition process
Changes instantly between different levels of representation of sound and notation
Vibration can histories and sound spectra audible and visible
Is a patient, and (with headphones) barely audible "agent", as the frequent reproduction of music on individual learning permits
Gives a chance to those faced by music through spieltechnische limits on acoustic instruments previously shut
Auskoppelung facilitated through any of the individual voices of musical analysis process works in a complex combination of ears and eyes
Makes learning pressure on the staff through networking and / or software on display, or all attendees immediately accessible
Is almost independent of instrumentaltechnischen conditions Gedachtes or write phonetically, and / or set in the notation to Erklingendes
Ties with the help of the Internet worldwide connections (music loving) pupils and students of other schools at home and abroad.